Experts have labelled this woman as ‘the most dangerous woman in the world’ and for good reason. Any guesses on who it might be? If you guessed the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong, then you’d be correct. Kim Yo Jong has been making headlines recently for her unexpected surprise appearance at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Many analysts have identified her as a possible successor to her brother and now experts are weighing in on why she could be considered “the most dangerous woman in the world”.
Sung-Yoon Lee, professor at Tuft’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, has written a book about the rise of Kim Yo Jong titled “The Sister”.
Since 2011 when she made her first public appearance alongside her father, Kim Jong Il, there has been an upsurge in power for Kim Yo Jong.
Her debut was followed by appearances alongside her brother during events such as their historic summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and most recently their summit with Vladimir Putin in Russia.
Lee believes that if there is tension between Kim Yeo Jung and other members of the royal family it would date back to 2013 when she was believed to have helped orchestrate the execution of their uncle who had seemingly showed disrespect towards their father.
Lee suggests that due to being a woman in male dominated culture she brings a softer image which could be used as a weapon against foreign governments or international organizations such as the UN that may find themselves wary of appearing petulant if they deny cooperation with someone because they are female.
Additionally, many believe she holds some authority over North Korea’s nuclear weapons arsenal which would give her even more power if true given that last year she issued several statements threatening South Korea if any bullets were fired inside North Korean territory.
We have never seen anything quite like this before according to Lee who says: “We have never seen this in North Korea, in Korean history, in world history, a female co-despotess – a female co-leader of a criminal regime – issuing nuclear threats and saying that I have the authority to nuke you…”
This gives us an insight into how powerful Jo Yong really is – something we should all take very seriously moving forward regardless of gender politics or traditional cultural norms within North Korea itself where women occupying positions usually reserved for men can often be frowned upon by society itself.
